HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99.9% of hacker crime.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
by Eric Schlosser
Sweets
Sweets
by Tim Richardson
Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World
Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World
by Davy Rothbart
RELATED AISLES

Nikolai Grozni Read the INK Q&A with Nikolai Grozni and save 30% on Turtle Feet: The Making and Unmaking of a Buddhist Monk.

Turtle Feet $17.46
Hardcover Add to Cart



 
Ships free on qualified orders.
$5.25
List price: 13.00
You save: $7.75
TRADE PAPER, USED
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
18 Local Warehouse Cooking and Food- Gastronomic Literature
Hide store locations


Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
by Steve Almond

Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America Cover

Powells.com Staff Pick

Here's a great recipe: Take one often-obsessed-upon food item, one aptly named author, and an enormous amount of writing talent. Mix them all together and you have Candyfreak. A great book that melts in your mind, not in your hand. Danielle, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A self-professed candyfreak, Steve Almond set out in search of a much-loved candy from his childhood and found himself on a tour of the small candy companies that are persevering in a marketplace where big corporations dominate.

From the Twin Bing to the Idaho Spud, the Valomilk to the Abba-Zaba, and discontinued bars such as the Caravelle, Marathon, and Choco-Lite, Almond uncovers a trove of singular candy bars made by unsung heroes working in old-fashioned factories to produce something they love. And in true candyfreak fashion, Almond lusciously describes the rich tastes that he has loved since childhood and continues to crave today. Steve Almond has written a comic but ultimately bittersweet story of how he grew up on candy — and how, for better and worse, the candy industry has grown up, too.

Candyfreak is the delicious story of one man's lifelong obsession with candy and his quest to discover its origins in America.

Review:

"There are enough anecdotes from Almond's lifelong fixation that readers will feel as if they know him....Almond's awareness of how strange he is...is strangely endearing." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"Almond...details with mouthwatering descriptions his visits to the minor league of candy makers who continue to churn out their distinctive products....Sweet, never sickly — and quite informative." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"The decidedly regional nature of American candy production takes Almond to all sorts of destinations where he encounters those tastefully inventive minds who satisfy the country's sweet tooth." Mark Knoblauch, Booklist

Review:

"Flavored with the author's amusingly tart sense of humor, Candyfreak is an intriguing chronicle of the passions that candy inspires and the pleasures it offers. Recommended." Library Journal

Review:

"I got a real sugar rush and a cluster headache reading this bittersweet book by Steve Almond-joy, the sugar daddy himself. I won't sugar coat it — this book is one sweet treat." Amy Sedaris

Review:

"Steve Almond is the Dave Eggers of food writing." John Thorne

Review:

"[A] fascinating exploration of the small American candy-making companies that persist in the shadow of such giants as Hershey, Nestlè and Mars and...a bittersweet personal memoir, is likely to make you [a candyfreak], too." Hartford Courant

Review:

"One word of caution: Reading this delicious narrative on an empty stomach will lead to a hasty trip to your local candy store to search for the delicacies Almond chronicles. Or at least that's what this sugar-addicted reviewer found herself doing." Minneapolis Star Tribune

Review:

"Almond goes at the subject as if he were a giddy 5-year-old, creating an entertaining book full of repeatable tidbits about the candy industry." New York Times Book Review

Review:

"[A] book that is part memoir of childhood candy consumption, part paean to small candy makers, and tremendously engaging throughout." Chicago Sun-Times

Review:

"As a fellow candy freak, I found Almond's illuminations highly enjoyable and, like Almond himself, I felt a pang of sadness when it was over." The Oregonian (Portland, OR)

Review:

"Reading Candyfreak is like following a kid into a candy store. Not only is Almond a glutton for his subject, he's a hilariously uninhibited writer....Candyfreak is like a good candy bar: a piece of delicious, ephemeral fun." San Francisco Chronicle

Review:

"Skittish wordplay, comedy and hot-off-the-slab research mark this book as a winner among simple candy lovers, confectionoscenti and the freaks — those who enter a disassociative state when confronted with candy." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Synopsis:

Almond embarks on a hilarious, sugar-high tour through America's last remaining independent candy companies.
back to top

About the Author

Steve Almond is the author of the acclaimed story collection My Life in Heavy Metal. He is a regular commetator on the NPR affiliate WBUR in Boston, teaches creative writing at Boston College, and has eaten at least one piece of candy every single day of his entire life.
back to top

Table of Contents

Some Things You Should Know about the Author xv

Chapter One

The Author Will Now Rationalize 1

Chocolate = Enabler 8

In Which an Unhealthy Pattern of Dependence Is Established 10

An Ill-Advised Discussion of Freak Economics 16

Night of the Living Freak 21

Mistakes Were Made 25

Chapter two

Caravelle: An Elegy 29

I ™ Manny 39

Feeding the Beast 45

Chapter Three

A Top-Secret Chocolate Situation 51

The Politics of the Rack 56

The Last Man in America with Black Jack Gum 62

Chapter Four

The Capo Di Tutti Freak 71

The Love Song of Ray Luthar Broekel 76

Welcome to the Boom 82

Chapter Five

There Are Men upon This Earth Who Tread Like Gods 90

Feuilletine, Revealed 97

Freak Fetish 105

Chapter Six

The Official Dark Horse Freak of

Philadelphia 108

Wee Willie and the Pop-a-Licks Rage 115

Chapter Seven

Southern-Fried Freak 123

Chocolate Haiku 130

Freak Retentive 139

Chapter Eight

In the Belly of the Freak 142

The Unstoppable Freak Energy of Mr. Marty Palmer 145

Southbound with the Hammers Down 163

Chapter Nine

The Candy Bar on Your Chin 168

The Marshmallow Parallax 177

A Depressing but Necessary Digression 189

Chapter Ten

Boise: Gateway to . Boise 191

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Idaho Spud 195

Huckleberry, Hounded 206

American Lunch 214

How Will the Spud Survive? 218

Chapter Eleven

The Past Is Just Ahead 224

Remember This Name: Banana-Zaba 231

Chapter Twelve

A Second Depressing but Necessary Digression 238

A Little Hidden Bomb in My Idaho Spud 240

A Few Final Relevant Facts 244

acknowledgments 253

freak appendix 255


back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
RNELP, July 10, 2008 (view all comments by RNELP)
One of the best books I have read in a long time! Think tripping down memory lane as the character Charlie from the Chocolate Factory, dressed as Alice in Wonderland while they call you Bond, as in 007. This is where you will find it all-memories, freaky antectdotes, child labor injustices, and industrial espionage. Makes you think, laugh and crave for even more.........
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
Melissa Endicott, November 27, 2007 (view all comments by Melissa Endicott)
This is one of my favorite books...it is simply hilarious! I love that it is a memoir of his candy-eatin' childhood enrobed in rich satire, political and social commentary, and a history of candymaking and marketing in 20th century America. And, learning a bit about candy production is fun as well. Thinking of 'baby vomit', 'Sixlets' and 'dead cuticle-like coconut' just makes me laugh all over again. Fabulous!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Jeff McBride, January 22, 2007 (view all comments by Jeff McBride)
Semi-fascinating story about a few classic traditional candy business'. It was an OK read but lacked breadth. I'd only had a few of the candies described and I really would have enjoyed less depth on more candies. Still......I read it in two sittings and it made my mouth water!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(17 of 29 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
View all 3 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780156032933
Subtitle:
A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
Author:
Almond, Steve
Publisher:
Harvest Books
Subject:
Chocolate
Subject:
Candy
Subject:
Topic - Business and Professional
Subject:
Courses & Dishes - Chocolate
Subject:
Industries - General
Subject:
General Business & Economics
Subject:
HUM010000
Copyright:
2005
Edition Description:
Harvest
Series:
Harvest Book
Publication Date:
April 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
256
Dimensions:
8.12x5.28x.83 in. .59 lbs.
back to top